Gorse fires warning after 250 in five days

A warning has been issued on the consequences of setting gorse fires, as police reveal there have been 250 blazes across Northern Ireland since Monday.

Superintendent Emma Bond said the majority are believed to have been started deliberately.

She said, “Gorse fires have the potential to cause widespread damage to the environment and harm to wildlife, as well as threatening homes, farms and the people living in those areas.

“The unpredictability of fire can also mean that those setting them may be putting their own lives at risk as well as the lives of the fire service personnel and other emergency services tasked to deal with them.

“There can also be untold consequences to tying up crucial emergency resources that may be needed elsewhere.”

The superintendent added, “I would appeal to those people who are causing the fires to think of their actions and the consequences of them, and I would ask anyone with any information which could help us identify those involved to contact their local police station on 101 and pass that information on.”